Challenges

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Thanks to The Bookish Snob Promotions I'm welcoming Evelyn Lafont to A Chick Who Reads today. She's going to be talking about the process of writing. So I'll turn the blog over to Evelyn now. The Process of Writing

One question that authors get asked often during interviews is what their process is. The truth for most of us, I think, is that we don’t really have one. I think sometimes it seems like writing a novel is a mystery process that involves Voodoo rituals, soul selling, and maybe some sage cleansing in our Feng Shuied offices. But it’s not.
Writing a novel is like taking notes when you fantasize. That’s it. Sit around, have some fantasies, write ‘em down and string ‘em together into a story.
Okay, that seems a little casual. It’s more work than that. We create outlines, develop characters, and work through plot problems, but once the foundations are laid, we are left with the process of fantasizing and taking notes.
It is hard to keep up with the pace of our fantasies, and sometimes they have plot holes and inconsistencies that we need to clean up, but that’s done during editing. Writing is pure, clean, fun fantasizing.
There are certain props that are necessary while we write—process or no. My favorite props are a pair of poker chips given to me by my friend Greg which I shift around in my hands while thinking, Starbucks coffee, and a couple of snuggly, sleepy, snorey kittens. Sometimes I listen to music, but often, I’m so lost in the process that I don’t even notice whether or not there’s noise going on around me.
And that’s it. All my secrets…about my writing process anyway. To share the rest…I’ll have to get to know you better first J.

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comments:

Funny you say that about having fantasies and writing them down. I do the same thing. If they're not spawned from the hellish torrents inside my own head, they come from real life. Sometimes I find myself watching people eating dinner at PF Chang's on a Sunday night, wondering what they're talking about with such vigor. Are they drunk? Is that guy mad at the girl? Why isn't he making eye contact? What if he's a spy sent by the Immortal Dragovian Bringers of Death, searching for clues to where his dead mother's lost amulet might be buried? *Scribble scribble*

I love this post Evelyn! I write from what I dream and when I wake up, I sit down and write it out. I love the feeling that comes when your imagination is sparked and you can't write fast enough. Writing is such a rush!

I do that too Kendall! When I was young I used to make up stories about all the people in the cars around us, and I'm always trying to figure out what goes on behind closed doors. I love to blend the boring old PRACTICAL in with the fantastical to see what comes up. The whole book stemmed from the practical thought I had about how the hell a human chick would break up with a vampire. From there, I just kept going...

@Belinda--it really is a rush. It's a better feeling than almost anything, and totally addictive.